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Margo and Clarence Dodd were leaning their elbows on the upper rail of the concrete bridge, looking at the hills and speculating about the ceiling of diluted s the sun red, giving its light an oet away from Ross Hunter

"It could be only brush fires in the canyons and mountains," the Little Man said "But I&039;m afraid it&039;s eles?"

"I rent a cottage in Santa Monica Sa"

"Any faood, at least I&039; down "There&039;s water in the wash now! Doesn&039;t that mean there&039;s rain inland?"

But just then, with a triu back from a reconnoiter down the coast, followed by a short, blocky yellow school bus The two vehicles stopped on the bridge Wojtowicz cli one of the army rifles Doc came after him, but stopped on the step-down platform, which made a convenient rostrum

"I am pleased to announce that I&039;ve found us transportation," he called out loudly and jovially "I insisted on looking into Monica Mountainway, and there, in a little vale not one hundred yards off the highway, I discovered this char chore, which today will be carrying us! It&039;s all gassed up and plentifully stocked with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and irradiated, fluoridated milk Prepare for departure in fivearound the yellow hood "Doddsy, that&039;s not rainwater in that wash there, that&039;s salt tide - just look over the other side of the bridge and you&039;ll see it stretching out in one gleas creep up on people You&039;ve got the other gun, Doddsy - you ride with the Hixons Ida will be with you to nurse Ray Hanks I&039;ll co to take us over Monica Mountainway to the Valley?"

"Part way at any rate To the two-thousand-foot heights, if I can After that" He shrugged

"Mr Brecht," she went on, "Vandenberg Three is just the other end of the Mountainway On the slopes, in fact Morton Opperly&039;s there, in charge of the pure science end of the Moon Project I think we should try to contact hiht to be showing ht welcome some sane recruits It&039;s a sound idea that we cluster around the top scientists in this para-reality situation However, God knows if we&039;ll ever get to V-3, or if Opperly will still be there if we do," he added, shrugging again

"Never o said "All I ask is that if there&039;s a chance to contact him, you help me I&039;ve a special reason which is extremely important but which I can&039;t explain now"

Doc looked at her shrewdly, then grinned "Sure thing," he promised, as Hunter and sogestions

Margo boarded the bus at once and took the seat behind the driver He was a scowly old man with a jaw so shallow she wondered if he had teeth

"It&039;s very good of you to help us out this way," she re around at her incredulously and flashing soa a thumb at Doc just outside the door, "about this five-hundred-and-sixty-foot tide that would drown hty vivid And then he toldup uy with a gun Good o&039;slide blocking off ht as well throith you crazy folks"

Margo laughed self-consciously "You&039;ll get used to us," she said At thatback to Doc: "Very well, Wanda and I will ride in this conveyance, but I categorically refuse to drink milk with fallout rays and rat poison in it!"

The driver looked at Margo "Maybe," he said sourly

The rest cao while the driver was talking to her She ostentatiously made extra room, but he didn&039;t look at her Doc stood in the door and counted noses "All here," he announced He leaned out and shouted to the truck, "OK, off we go! Reverse course and follow in line astern!"

The school bus turned around on the bridge, and the truck behind it Margo noticed that the water in the as now a yard higher A tiny roller ca the sides The beach onto which she&039;d shot the boulder was under water, too Last night the road here had been over half a mile from the ocean, but now only a hundred yards separated it froic spot he&039;d reserved for hi over the extra seat beside him

"On to Monica Mountainway," he told the driver "Keep her at an easy thirty and watch for rocks We&039;ve hardly four hway - ae Mrs Pacific as she fattens up Remember, everybody, the Pacific Coast tides are the &039;s the low high - McHeath," he called over his shoulder, "you&039;re our liaison officer Keep an eye on the truck Rest of you, don&039;t crowd the sea-side I want this bus balanced e start uphill We&039;re well ahead of the tide - there&039;s no danger"

"Unless we get soan, but checked herself She&039;d been going to say "earthquake waves" or "tsunaht; don&039;t say it," he whispered to her Then, in a not much louder voice, across to Doc: "Where did you pick up that five-sixty figure, Rudy?"

"Eighty tie of seven feet," Doc replied "Much too big, I devoutly hope, but we have to make some kind of esti deep, da-da-da-da-da-da-da"

Margo winced at the raucous voice "singing for morale" - hoell consideredly was an open question - and wished it were Paul&039;s Then she clasped her hands together and studied the back of the driver&039;s seat It looked recently scrubbed, but she could make out, "Ozzie is a stinker," "Jo-Ann wears falsies," and "Pop has 13 teeth"

Despite Doc&039;s reassurances, there was considerable excited watching of the creeping waters and scanning of theof tension as the bus chugged south Margo felt the tension slacken the , two-lane black ribbon of the moun-tainway - and then, alain as people scanned the road ahead for slides or buddings There instantly sprang out of Margo&039;s own memory Mrs Hixon&039;s vivid phrase: "Those mountains have stirred like stew" But the first stretch, at least, straight up a low-do inland after us, Mr Brecht," came a soldierly voice from the rear

"Thank you, McHeath," Doc called back Then, to Hunter and Margo with grinning enthusias on Monica Mountainway There hasn&039;t been eneral press, but actually it&039;s a revolutionary advance in roadbuilding"

"Hey, Doc," Wojtowicz called, "if this road&039;s clear to the Valley, there&039;d be traffic co, Wojtowicz," Doc agreed, "but we only need the mountainway clear the first three miles - that&039;ll put us over six hundred feet up We don&039;t have to worry about the other twenty-two miles In fact, it&039;s probably better for us if it&039;s blocked so fifty million cars"

"The sky looks blacker ahead, Mommy," Ann piped up She and Ra smoke plume"

"We&039;re betater and fire," the Ra back into his voice "But be of good cheer; Ispan will return"

"I&039;o, sotto voce Then, in the sa to her zippered-up leather boso the cat-woman dropped from the saucer? I saw you catch it, you know, and I think you tested it thisWork?"

When she didn&039;t answer him, he said: "Keep it to yourself if it makes you feel more secure I heard the questions you asked Doc and I heartily approve Otherwise I&039;d take it away froht have combed his beard, but she could smell his musky sweat

The bus topped the first hill, took a slow, dipping curve, and started up a steeper one Still no falls or crus came into view